Sprint drops Phone-as-Modem plan to $15 per month, adds stipulations

So there's good news and bad news, and we're not even giving you the option of choosing which you'd prefer to hear first (hint: it's the good). Sprint has dropped the price of its Phone-as-Modem plan (capped at 5GB monthly) to just $15 per month. Now, the rest of the story. First off, you must own a Power Vision phone with connection capabilities to a laptop. Next -- unlike the old PAM plan which ran $49.99 / month all by itself -- this "attachable plan" requires you to have another data plan already on your account. For instance, the BlackBerry Personal Pack ($30 / month) or the Worldwide Data Plan ($70 / month). In the end, it looks as if tethering in and of itself got cheaper, but those newfound strings that are reportedly attached will likely cause some frustration.

[Via phonescoop]

[Dave @ Aug 21st 2008 5:13PM]

I guess Dan "Not the Man" Hesse wants us to worry about our usage afterall. Thanks Dan

[Johan S @ Aug 21st 2008 5:12PM]

Note to corporations:

The only negative effect of setting bandwidth caps may be to frustrate your few power users, but remember one thing .. we're also the most vocal.

[kjb434 @ Aug 21st 2008 5:48PM]

The true power users will pay for it because they are doing it for work it just becomes an expense. If you are a power users and it's not work, tough!

The majority of the data plan users in the US are doing for work related purposes. The iPhone on some level started changing that, but its users pale in comparison to business data users on other devices.

[stiltskin @ Aug 21st 2008 7:53PM]

Don't start with the iPhone stuff lowering the prices by carriers and more kids getting smartphones not just the iPhone are changing it.

[Kris @ Aug 21st 2008 5:14PM]

Wow, this News happened over a week ago. Good to see you're still on the bann, Engadget!

[phanbouy @ Aug 21st 2008 5:17PM]

wtf is a bann?

[WarMouse @ Aug 21st 2008 5:45PM]

Anything not immediately reported ceases to be important?

[Russell @ Aug 22nd 2008 8:24AM]

Correction. It actually happened around June 22nd. The original PAM plan was $39.99 as an attachable, and $49.99 as a stand-alone. The new $15 attachable is compatible with the $30 Power Vision Pro Pack (incl. unl sms) and the $30 Power Vision BlackBerry Pack plans. It is not compatible with the Simply Everything plans, nor is it compatible with the Talk/Message Share or Talk/Message/Data Share price plans. Oh, and the $49.99 stand-alone plan is still an option.

[totoro @ Aug 21st 2008 5:17PM]

1) I like the idea of adding a cheap tethering plan if you already pay for a data plan (cough, ATT/iPhone, cough)
2) 5GB/month? Come on.

[adhood @ Aug 21st 2008 5:17PM]

PDANet FTW

[ben @ Aug 21st 2008 5:18PM]

doesnt seem all that bad to me as a lot of people already own data plants but cant\dont know how to tether

[Level 5 @ Aug 21st 2008 5:21PM]

I've used my PPC6700 and Mogul on multiple computers since 05.. sprint's never picked it up ftw.

[ivanotter @ Aug 21st 2008 10:16PM]

thats becuase tethering is inherent in the OS of the phone (having a mogul myself).

They finally blocked it on the touch, but one registry entry change and "whallah" its there again.

On more "proprietary" OS phones, they can make you pay for it.

[edward @ Aug 21st 2008 5:27PM]

If they can just get rid of the stupid call fowarding fee that only they have i would love sprint... and have visual voicemails too ;)

[TavisJohn @ Aug 21st 2008 7:19PM]

Visual Voicemail is on the Samsung Instinct. So if you want it, get the fancy phone.

[bjsguess @ Aug 21st 2008 8:55PM]

... or use GrandCentral. Free VVM.

[Matt @ Aug 21st 2008 5:31PM]

If Verizon had this, I'd sign up in a heartbeat. I already have unlimited data on my BB, I'd gladly sign up for a $15 tethering plan. Maybe then I could actually get internet access on the Boston commuter rail, because the "free WiFi" never actually works.

[Matt @ Aug 22nd 2008 8:23AM]

Heh, whaddya know, they do! Signed up, wewt!

[tym @ Aug 21st 2008 11:54PM]

i've been tethering on my sprint phone for 3-4 years (ppc6700 and mogul like above poster) If i start getting charged i'm going to be pissed

[rtrip @ Aug 21st 2008 5:35PM]

After I updated my Q9c's rom to wm 6.1 I thought about getting pdanet. Then I discovered an internet sharing icon in the start folder. Next thing I know I'm connected at 800kbs. Thanks Sprint for the free WiFi!

[Ben @ Aug 21st 2008 7:36PM]

How did you get this to work? I've tried to tether with my Q9c and it will never get the connection going. What settings did you use? Wired connection or bluetooth? thanks

[djs @ Aug 21st 2008 5:37PM]

What does this mean for SERO customers? Also $15/mo?

[stephen @ Aug 21st 2008 6:09PM]

i used an entire gig last month when my internet went down. i tethered from my mogul with no PAM plan and never got charged.

[gregor @ Aug 21st 2008 5:45PM]

i just called on this and was told that unless you have one of the new "unlimited everything" plans it was going to be the old price of $50. i call shenanigans! me thinks i am going to call back and see if i can get another side of the story. i am out of contract so i am hoping they are willing to be reasonable.

[Bad Beaver @ Aug 21st 2008 5:48PM]

Only in America. Incredible.

[David Talmage @ Aug 21st 2008 6:03PM]

Why should I have to pay extra to tether my phone to a computer? Bits are bits, whether they're consumed by the phone or by the thing the phone is connected to. There's nothing special about tethering that costs Sprint extra to provide it.

[Montusama @ Aug 21st 2008 6:25PM]

Well I guess its good if I plan on being away from my dsl connection, but i could just try to get my Samsung M520 for tethering when my dsl decides to act up during some t-storms

[Beeswax @ Aug 21st 2008 6:51PM]

I hope this applies to the SERO plans as well. I want to get uncensored internet at school (legitimate purposes, calm down) but don't want to pay $50 a month.

[JerryA @ Aug 21st 2008 8:18PM]

I've always just used the $15/mo unlimited 3g and WMWiFi or Internet Sharing but I'm glad to see them lower rates for doing it "legit". It sucks that it has a cap but I still consider it a good starting point.

[Kevin @ Aug 21st 2008 8:32PM]

I've been using my phone as a modem for some time now. With the 6700, I have the $10 basic vision package and it does the trick. Why pay more?

[Pete @ Aug 21st 2008 9:03PM]

Funny, Verizon has had the same offer for years now. It's called tethering. Same price and bandwidth limit - seems like sprint is caught behind the 8 ball yet again.

I tether with my Motorola Q - with USB or wireless with bluetooth

But an Aircard is still generally faster.

[Teh Lup @ Aug 21st 2008 9:27PM]

The tethering package was never $50, it was $40.
Blackberry personal is more expensive because... its through RIM.
$30 for BB personal is an industry standard.
The $40 tethering plan also included data on the device, aswell as tethered to a PC..
So it all pans out, no real change.

But lets bash sprint, and not talk about how AT&T's tethering service is $60 a month.. Along with Verizon's.
Which both other major national service providers are capped at 5gigs aswell.

Sprint's cap is also a 'soft cap'... meaning? You will only be contacted about the limit if you are a habitual offender.

Pete - reason being is most air cards are the fasted 'revision.' I run a PDA phone that is Rev A.. just as fast as the 597 sprint dongle I have access to.

Kevin - you're using the 'internet sharing' program thats built into the 6700 (whatever means you go to acquire it.) Hence why it doesn't cost you anything. Doesn't cost me anything either =D

Stephen - see above. I have never been charged either.

Talmadge - every provider has additional costs for tethering (except for possibly Tmobile, not fully educated on it. along with rumors I have heard.) But no, its not the same. A full browser is just that, there isnt a mobile browser that gives you the access that a tethered browser does. Add to the addition bandwidth it takes to run other apps, like Im and such.. and you're looking at a whole lot more bandwidth gobbled tethered than a phone can take.

Btw, Im willing to bet this is on the simply everything plan... a lot of stink was made about the lack of tethering service offered, and no 'cut' for customers to achieve the same '$40' cost you would see out of a standard consumer plan. Power vision is $25.. plus $15 is... the same as offering 'PAM' .. which gets you data on the device, and tethered.

[ivanotter @ Aug 21st 2008 10:34PM]

Well So let me get this straight:

TO be able to tether your phone to your Computer, on top of an already existing plan, you have to pay 15 bucks.


No thanks ^_^. Have a Mogul, and since its a WinMo phone, I can just use the Internet Connection Sharing.

Guess this is more for the non-winmo phones.

[tartis99 @ Aug 22nd 2008 7:54AM]

I have a Palm Treo 800w that has Internet Sharing. Are you saying that I will not get charged for using this feature with Sprint?

[oiowoio @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:37AM]

you can also get the $30 vision pro pack which includes unlimited internet and txt messaging and add the phone-as-modem plan to that...so if you add that all together, its $45.00 which is 4 dollars cheaper than the plan that used to be available

[luc @ Aug 22nd 2008 2:34AM]

why the cap has to be at 5gb?? this is 2008 dammit not 1999!